National

No Charges for St. Louis Officer Who Killed 18-Year-Old

Published

11 years ago

May 20, 2015

In this Oct. 9, 2014 file photo, people gather for a candlelight vigil to remember Vonderrit Myers Jr., in St. Louis. An attorney for the family of the black 18-year-old shot and killed last October by an off-duty, white St. Louis police officer said Tuesday, May 19, 2015 he plans to file a wrongful-death lawsuit, after a prosecutor said the officer would not face criminal charges. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson, File)

JIM SUHR, Associated Press

ST. LOUIS (AP) — An attorney for the family of a black 18-year-old shot and killed last October by an off-duty, white St. Louis police officer said Tuesday he plans to file a wrongful-death lawsuit, after a prosecutor said the officer would not face criminal charges.

In a 51-page report released Monday, St. Louis Circuit Attorney Jennifer Joyce said her office’s “independent and exhaustive investigation” concluded a criminal violation could not be proven beyond a reasonable doubt in VonDerrit Myers Jr.’s death.

The report, which did not identify the officer because no charges were filed, said that “given all the available facts, witness statements, (and the) physical and forensic evidence,” the officer shot and killed Myers in self-defense after Myers fired at him.

A statement by St. Louis Police Chief Sam Dotson identified the officer as Jason Flanery, a six-year veteran of the department. A message left Tuesday with Flanery’s attorney, Brian Millikan, seeking comment on the prosecutor’s decision was not returned.

Myers’ Oct. 8 death fanned racial unrest that had erupted two months earlier after the killing of black, unarmed 18-year-old Michael Brown by white police officer Darren Wilson in nearby Ferguson. Brown’s death led to sometimes-violent protests in Ferguson and other U.S. cities, spawning a national “Black Lives Matter” movement seeking changes in how police deal with minorities.

A St. Louis County grand jury and the U.S. Justice Department declined to charge Wilson, who later resigned. But the Justice Department released a scathing report that cited racial bias and racial profiling in Ferguson policing, along with a municipal court system driven by profit extracted mostly from black and low-income residents.

On Tuesday, a few dozen protesters in downtown St. Louis decried Joyce’s decision not to charge Flanery, marching with a police escort before rallying outside of the courts building that includes Joyce’s office.

Then, late Tuesday night, about 40 people gathered outside Joyce’s home to protest and at least six were taken into custody, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported.

“This is a tragic situation for our entire community, and my thoughts and prayers remain with the Myers family. I know their loss is heartbreaking,” Joyce said in a statement.

An attorney for Myers’ family, former prosecutor Jerryl Christmas, dismissed Joyce’s findings, insisting that Myers was unarmed and never fired at the officer, who was patrolling a neighborhood as a security officer in a marked private security car.

Christmas alleges the officer planted the gun near Myers’ body, and he likened the case to last month’s South Carolina shooting death of a black man, Walter Scott, by a white police officer who said he fired after Scott fought him for his stun gun. That officer, Michael Slager, was charged with murder after video recorded on a bystander’s cellphone showed Scott running from Slager when he was shot.

“I know from working in the prosecutor’s office that the easiest thing for an officer to do is throw a gun on you, and I believe that’s the case here,” Christmas told The Associated Press. “The issue here is this: Whoever has control of the crime scene controls the narrative.”

Christmas said he plans to file a wrongful-death lawsuit by the end of this month, saying the officer who killed Myers “acted irrationally” and “this family needs to be compensated for their loss.”

Joyce’s report said the officer had reason to suspect Myers, who was shot eight times, was armed and that two guns were fired during the confrontation, with shots coming from both directions.

“Based upon the investigation, prosecutors concluded that Mr. Myers produced a firearm on the evening in question,” Joyce’s report read, adding that “no witness claims to have seen (the officer) alter evidence in any way, such as throw down a gun, fire a weapon in any direction other than towards Mr. Myers or scatter bullet casings.”

Joyce said the officer declined to be interviewed for her investigation.

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Oakland Post: Week of September 2 – 8, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of September 2 – 8, 2026

Published

24 hours ago

September 7, 2026

Oakland Post

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Business

Longtime BWOPA Member Brendalyn Goodall Appointed to California Workforce Development Board

Gov. Gavin Newsom has appointed longtime Black Women Organized for Political Action (BWOPA) member Brendalynn Goodall to the California Workforce Development Board. Goodall, an Oakland resident with decades of experience in public service, has held leadership positions focused on

Published

1 week ago

August 30, 2026

Post News Group

Post Co-Publisher Gay Plair Cobb with Brendalynn Goodall. Courtesy photo.

By California Black Media

Gov. Gavin Newsom has appointed longtime Black Women Organized for Political Action (BWOPA) member Brendalynn Goodall to the California Workforce Development Board.

Goodall, an Oakland resident with decades of experience in public service, has held leadership positions focused on employment, aging services and assistance for underserved communities.

“Brendalynn will be a great addition to this Board,” said Gay Plair Cobb, who served as former state Assemblyman Sandre Swanson’s alternate to the California Workforce Development Board (CWDB).

“She understands that California’s non-profit organizations serve persons who have the most significant barriers to their labor market success and that the Board should help these groups navigate the complicated requirements of state funding.

“In other words, she will be a strong advocate for our most marginalized populations. Her voice is needed now, more than ever.”

CWDB works with the governor to shape workforce policies, programs and investments designed to strengthen the state’s economy. It collaborates with employers, workers, labor organizations, educational institutions, community groups and California’s 45 local workforce development boards to expand access to quality jobs and respond to regional employment needs.

According to the board, its work includes coordinating state programs and guiding investments in workforce training and development.

BWOPA California celebrated the appointment, describing Goodall as a dedicated advocate for workers, families and older adults.

“Her appointment reflects a lifetime of leadership, service, and unwavering commitment to strengthening California’s workforce and expanding opportunity for all,” the organization stated in a press release.

Goodall served as summer jobs program coordinator in the Oakland Mayor’s Office from 2012 to 2014. In that position, she helped connect young people with employment opportunities and job experience.

Before joining the Mayor’s Office, Goodall was division manager for Aging and Adult Services in the City of Oakland Human Services Department from 2002 to 2011. She previously served as senior services supervisor and program director for the city’s Department of Aging, Health and Human Services from 1990 to 2002.

Goodall is also a member of the California Commission on Aging, which advises the governor and state officials on policies and programs affecting older Californians.

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Black History

Jackie Wright Champions Bay Area Stories, Filmmakers and Cultural Institutions

As an award-winning communications professional, Wright has worked with corporations, nonprofits, government agencies, educational institutions, artists, and community organizations. In 2026, she expanded that work by launching an introductory public relations class for small businesses and nonprofits, offering practical tools for gaining visibility, shaping messages and building productive relationships with the media.

Published

1 week ago

August 30, 2026

Post News Group

Jackie Wright of Wright Enterprises. Photo courtesy of Wright Enterprises.

By Carla Thomas

Jackie Wright has spent more than two decades helping people, organizations and communities understand the power of a well-told story.

As founder and president of Wright Enterprises, a San Francisco-based strategic communications and public affairs firm, Wright has built a career spanning journalism, public relations, media relations, crisis communications, community engagement and multimedia storytelling.

Wright’s commitment to storytelling is also deeply personal. She wrote and co-directed the 15-minute documentary, “Love Separated in Life…Love Reunited in Honor,” which chronicles the story of her parents, Specialist Five (S5 Wyley Wright Jr. and Ouida Fay McClendon Wright. Her father, a U.S. Army helicopter crew chief, died in Vietnam in 1964 while serving as an honor guard during a visit by then-Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara. Decades later, Wright and her siblings had their father exhumed from a segregated cemetery in Jacksonville, Florida, and their mother moved from her burial place in Georgia so the couple could be reunited at Arlington National Cemetery in 2014.

The family journey later took Wright and her sister to Vietnam, where they discovered the former military compound that had been named in honor of their father and another fallen soldier. The documentary, centered on love, war, family, racial understanding, and remembrance, earned festival recognition at screenings.

“It was quite an honor to learn about my family’s history and share it on film,” said Wright.

That filmmaking experience complements Wright’s longstanding advocacy for independent cinema. She has served as a media partner and brand ambassador for Bay Area film festivals, including the San Francisco Black Film Festival, Oakland International Film Festival, and the Durban International Film Festival in South Africa.

“It’s important to help filmmakers and underrepresented stories reach broader audiences,” said Wright.

Whether promoting a neighborhood organization, championing an independent filmmaker or preserving her own family history, Wright has remained consistent. Through Wright Enterprises, she has turned communications into both a profession and a form of community service, telling stories that might otherwise go unheard.

“Our stories are an integral part of our history, and our history is not only American history, but worldwide,” she said.